Alarm



A. C. AND H E. SCHLOTH.

ALARM.

APPLICATION FILED NOV. 3, 1920.

Patented Feb. 14, 1922.

3 SHEETS-SHEET I.

- a sch/4am H INVENTOR ATTORNEY A. C. AND H. E. SCHLOTH.

ALARM.

APPLICATION FILED NOV. 8, 1920.

1,406,762. Patented-Feb. 14, 1922'.

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ALARM APPLlCATlON FILED NOV. 8. 1920- 1 Patented M14, 19.22.v

3 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

' ATTORNEY ARTHUR C. SGI TLOTH AND HERMAN E. SGHLOIH, OF LYNN, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNORS T0 ULDORIC J. BOUCHARD, OF BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS.

ALARM.

Application fi1ed November T 0 all whom 2'23 may concern Be it known that we, ARTHUR C. SGHLOTH, and HERMAN E. SoIrLoTr-I, citizens of the United States, residing at Lynn, in the county of Essex and State of Massachusetts, have invented new and useful Improvements in Alarms, of which the following is a specification.

Our present invention has reference to alarms.

Our object is the construction of means for continuously soundingan alarm when an attempt has been made to open a door by an unauthorized person not acquainted with the means for releasing the door locking means,

The improvement is susceptible for use in connection with safes, automobiles, or in fact any mechanism or machinery wherein the contents thereof are to be guarded or the operation of the machinery prevented by other than authorized persons. The same includes an electrically operated alarm having a switch controlled normally open circuit which is concealed in a casing that is closed by a door, the said door having means, including a permutation lock for holding the same closed, the lock also carrying a cam member which is in the path of engagement with a spring influenced push member or button for the switch so that when brought in contact therewith the circuit will be completed and the alarm sounded, means automatically holding the circuit closer in closing position, whereby the alarm will be continuously sounded until the person acquainted with the combination and means for opening the door, operates the same, the continuously sounding alarm directing attention to the fact that a surreptitious attempt has been made at opening the door.

The foregoing, and many other objects which will appear as the nature of the invention is better understood, may be accomplished by a simple construction, combination and operative arrangement of parts, such as is disclosed by the drawings.

For the sake of convenience, we have illustrated our alarm in connection with an automobile, whereby the horn thereof will be sounded when an unauthorized attempt has been made to operate the same, but, of course, the improvement is not to be thus Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Feb. 14, 1922.

8, 1920. Serial No. 422,642.

restricted in its useful application. Also thedrawings illustrate a satisfactory embodiment of the improvement and are susceptible to such changes and modifications as fall within the scope of what we claim.

In the drawings Figure 1 is a view of our improvement applied on the dash of an automobile.

Figure 2 is a similar view with the door for the casing in which the starting switch for the automobile is arranged and also in which the circuit making and breaking means I01 the alarm is arranged.

Figure 3 is a sectional view approximately on the line 3-3 of Figure 2, on an enlarged scale, and illustrating the arrangement of parts when the door is locked.

Figure 4: is a substantially similar view but showing the arrangement of parts when an attempt has been made by an unauthorized person to open the door of the switch box.

Figure 5 is a sectional view on the line 5 5 looking in the direction of the door, the parts being arranged as illustrated in Figure 3.

Figure 6 is a similar view with the parts arranged as illustrated in Figure 4:.

Figure 7 is a longitudinal sectional view approximately on the line 7-7 of Figure 6, on an enlarged scale.

Figure 8 is a vi w of the circuit breaker.

On the dash l of an automobile 2 we arrange our improvement. The improvement includes a substantially rectangular casing 3 that is let into the dash so that its outer face is flush therewith. The outer faceof the casing is open and the said opening is normally closed by a hinged door 4. The door on its outer face has a keeper 5 to be engaged by a pivoted latch 6 supported on the door casing. On the inner face of the door there is secured a depending angle bracket 7, ".vhile in the bottom of the casing there is journaled on suitable supports 8 a turnable member 9 which is really in the nature of a rod that has a portion thereof threaded, as at 10. The outer end of the rod 9 is received in a round opening 11 in one of the sides of the casing, and. the said end of the rod is squared or otherwise shaped to receive the socket of a key (not shown). As the face of the casing is arranged flush with the dash of the automobile the squared end of the rod is normally concealed so that only persons acquainted with the construction can apply the key. On the threaded portion of the rod 9 is an angle member that constitutes a latch 12. One arm of the said member has a threaded opening there through which is engaged by the threads of the bolt 9, and it will be apparent that by turning the bolt the latch may be brought to engage with the bracket or keeper 7 on the door, and thus hold the door closed on the casing.

On the inner face of the door there are the disk tumblers of a permutation lock. In the showing of the drawings, 1 have illustrated only three tumblers, 13, 1A and 15 respectively. The tumbler 15 is in the nature of a cam member, and all of the tumblers have peripheral notches which are designed to align when the lock is properly operated. The tumbler lat has an arcuate opening 16 therein concentric with the longitudinal axis of the pivot member 1'? for all of the tumblers. The tumbler 13 has a pin 18 that is received in the opening 16. The tumbler 18 also has its periphery provided with one or more substantially V-shaped notches 19, On the inner face of the door, and contacting with the periphery of the tumbler 13 is a yieldable brake member 20 that holds the said tumblers against accidental turning.

The tumbler 13 has a hub 28 that passes through an opening in the door, and on the outer face of the said hub is a flanged disk in the nature of a dial 2%. The pivot 17 passes through the hub and dial and has on its outer end an operating knob 26. Thus the outer tumblers 14 and 15 are operated independently of the inner tumbler 13, which latter is turned by the turning of the dial, the latter having its outer face provided with an annular enlargement for this purpose.

Pivotally secured to the inner face of the door, over the inner tuml ler 13 are dogs respectively. These dogs have their active faces substantially f-shaped in plan and are oppositely directed. The pivots for the dogs pass through suitable openings in the door and have on their outer end knobs 28 re spectively. The pivots for the dogs pass ireely through the openings therefor in the door at, so that the dogs will freely drop on to the periphery of the tumbler It will be apparent that should either of the dogs have their active face drop into either the keeper notch 16 of the tumbler 13 or the V-shaped or retarding notch 19 of the said tumbler, the latter cannot be turned unless the dogs are swung upwardly into contact with the inner face of the front of the casing 3.. When in such position, the dogs trictionally contact with the said inner wall of the casing so that they are held out of con tacting engagement with the tumbler. These dogs add to the confusion of unauthorized persons in their attempt to open the door 4.

Projecting into the door is a keeper 29. hen the proper tension has been reached so that the slots or notches 16 of the respective tumblers 1-3, let and 15 have been brought opposite the keeper, and the dogs have been brought out of cont-acting engagement with the upper wall of the casing, and also when the slidable latching means has been moved to unlatching position, the door can be opened.

In the casing is the switch of the electric circuit of the automobile, and also in the casing is the alarm switch. This switch is preferably connected to the local circuit including a battery 33 and an alarm 34. In arranging the device on an automobile, the alarm is preferably in the nature of the horn for the machine. One of the elements 35 of the switch is of spring construction and is normally out of engagement with its contact 36.

The circuit closer, for the alarm circuit, includes an element 37 of insulating material and which is connected to a spring arm 38 that is support-ed at its rear end on a bracket 39 that is secured to the side wall of the casing. The arm is also received in a guide bracket 40 and is limited in its outward movement by contact with a finger 41 formed on a plate 12 that has an angle end which is secured to the side of the casing. livotally secured, as at 43 on the arm 38 is the inner angle end 4A- of a latch member The latch member has its outer end formed with a downturned portion which is bifurcated at its lower end to provide an outer arm a and an inner arm 41:8, the inner arm being lOl'lgBl' than the outer arm and normally contacting with the inner face of the arm 38. The outer arm 47 nor mally rests on the upper straight edge of the linger 41, but will be moved off of the said linger and by the weighted free end of the latch 45 to drop on the arm 38 against the inner wall oi the finger when the circuit closer has been moved to close the alarm circuit and sound the alarm. The alarm will be sounded as long as the latch member is in such position, and the door must be opened before the latch member can be released.

The arm 38, on the end thereof which is attached to the element 37 is provided with an elongated contact plate 49 that is designed to be engaged by the outer or notched end of the tumbler 15, when the tumblers have been operated by an unauthorized 361- son, thus causing the alarm to be continuously sounded and attract attention to the fact that something is wrong with the machine, so that danger of stealing the machine will be thus reduced to a minimum if not entirely overcome. The lock is of such a construction that a great number of combinations can be obtained, and such combinations readily changed by the owner of the device, and it is thoughtthat the foregoing description, when taken in connection with the drawings will amply set forth the construction, operation and advantages of the improvement.

Having thus described the invention, what we claim, is p 1. In combination with an electric circuit, a normally open switch and a closer therefor; of a casing in which the switch and circuit closer are located, a door for the casing, locking means therefor including a cam which when turned to one position in the operation of the lock will engage the circuit closer to cause the latter to operate the switch to close the circuit, and latching means engaging the circuit closer for holding the same in its last mentioned posi tion.

2. In combination with an electric circuit, a normally open switch and a closer therefor; of a casing in which the switch and circuit closer are located, spring influenced latch means included in the circuit closer, means for holding the latch out of engagement with the circuit closer, a door for the casing, locking means therefor including a cam which when turned to one position in the operation of the lock will engage the circuit closer to cause the latter to actuate the switch and close the circuit, and to also cause the latch to engage with the cir-- cuit closer to hold the latter in circuit closing position.

3. In combination with an electric circuit, a normally open switch and a closer therefor; of a casing in which the door and closer are located, spring means for lIl-l fluencing the closer to non-closing position and a pivoted gravity influenced latch supported on the closer, a guide plate having a finger on which the latch normally rests, a door for the casing, locking means therefor including a cam which when turned to one position in the operation of the lock will engage the circuit closer to cause the latter to influence the switch to close the circuit, and to also permit of the latch gravitating over the closer into engagement with the finger of' the guide-plate for holding the closer in switch actuating position.

In combination with an electric circuit and a normally open swi ch; of a casing in which the switch is located, a spring influenced circuit closer in the casing, guide means therefor including a plate having an upstanding finger against which the closer contacts when the switch is in open position, a latch pivotally secured to the closer having a bifurcated end, one arm of which normally resting on the finger, a door for the casing, locking means therefor including a cam which when turned to one position in the operation of the lock will engage the circuit closer to cause the latter to close the switch and permit of the latch being brought ofl of the finger of the guide member into contacting engagement with the inner edge of the said finger to hold the closer in position for retaining the switch closed.

5. In combination with an electric circuit, a normally open switch and a switch closer; of a casing in which the switch and closer are located, means for latching the closer when in switch operating position, means for normally retaining the closer out of such position, a door for the casing, a tumbler lock thereon, including a cam that is in the path of contact with the closer and designed in the improper operation of the lock to contact therewith to close the circuit and to permit of the latch retaining the circuit so closed, pivoted dogs having operating handles on the outer face of the door normally resting on one of the lock tumblers, and brake means for holding one of said tumblers against free turning, an angle bracket on the door, a latch member in the casing for engaging therewith, and means, operable exteriorly of the casing for moving the latch longitudinally into or out of engagement with the bracket.

In testimony whereof we affix our signatures.

ARTHUR C. SCHLOTH. HERMAN E. SCHLOTH. 

